Callahan started out as a highly experimental artist, utilizing sub-standard instruments and recording equipment. His reason for using the lo-fi approach was not so much an aesthetic choice, rather it came from his lack of knowledge of recording studios, and fear of giving up control to professional engineers.
His later work saw him overcoming his fear of studios and producers, and in this period he recorded two albums with the influential producer Jim O'Rourke and musicians from the circles around Drag City, as well as collaborating with the similar-minded Neil Hagerty.
His songs are based on simple, repetitive structures, strikingly characterized by his baritone vocal. His lyrics are often centered around themes of spiritual searching and the complexity of emotions, with the use of subtlety and dark irony in the classic sense. There is also a broad swathe of joy throughout Callahan's work (and a singular obsession with horses that he shares with Will Oldham and Mark Linkous). He is a keen storyteller using simple words to project large and deeply echoing tales.
Callahan's love life has been documented with vigor in numerous hipster publications, including his romantic relationship with Chan Marshall (Cat Power), who allegedly penned "To Be a Good Woman" in tribute to Callahan while referencing his song "To Be Of Use." It has recently been rumored that Callahan is now involved with Drag City labelmate Joanna Newsom.
Callahan is widely seen as one of the important figures of American rock in the '90s. He currently resides in Austin, TX.
On his 2007 album "Woke on a Whaleheart" he dropped the name Smog and used his real name, Bill Callahan.
There are other artists with the same name:
2. Smog was a psychedelic rock band from Perù, wich in 1971 released the single Time for the Blues
3. Sludge/doom metal from Nuremberg, Germany
Bandcamp
4. Black metal from Kraków, Poland
Bandcamp
Astronaut
Smog Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Suffocating on the moon
So far from home
Encased in this plastic dome
I can barely see the earth from here
I cut my tether willingly
'Til I realise it's killing me
But something always saves my life
I should never be an explorer
Makes me sick
The song "Astronaut" by Smog is deeply introspective and carries strong themes of isolation and loneliness. Through the lyrics, the singer compares himself to an astronaut suffocating on the moon, so far away from home and encased in a plastic dome. He expresses feeling cut off from the world, unable to connect with anyone or anything. Even though he chose to cut his tether willingly, the realization that it's killing him starts to sink in, making him wish he knew the name of the thing that always saves his life.
The lyrics of the song can be interpreted symbolically as well, where the astronaut on the moon represents the sense of disconnection and detachment an individual may feel from society. The plastic dome stands for the barriers of physical, emotional, and mental isolation one may experience from the world. The astronaut's desire to explore while knowing it makes him sick highlights the complex mental and emotional turmoil of wanting to break free from isolation but being unable to do so.
Line by Line Meaning
I feel like an astronaut
I feel like I am isolated and alone in a vast and unknown world, much like an astronaut in outer space.
Suffocating on the moon
I feel like I am slowly losing the ability to breathe and sustain myself in this place that I have found myself in.
So far from home
I feel like I am a long way from a place where I feel safe and can call home.
Encased in this plastic dome
I feel like I am trapped and enclosed in this artificial environment that prevents me from experiencing the full extent of the world around me.
I can barely see the earth from here
I feel like I am so disconnected from my home planet that it has faded into the background and is almost out of sight.
I cut my tether willingly
I made a conscious decision to break away from my source of support and guidance.
'Til I realise it's killing me
I did not fully understand the consequences of my actions until I started feeling the negative effects on myself.
But something always saves my life
Despite the obstacles and challenges I face, there is always something that helps me overcome and survive.
Wish I knew it's name
I am grateful for this saving grace, but I wish I understood more about what it is and how it works.
I should never be an explorer
I have come to the realization that I am not cut out for this adventurous and risky lifestyle.
Makes me sick
The idea of continually putting myself in these dangerous and unfamiliar situations causes me great discomfort and unease.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LUDOVICO EINAUDI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind